Operational Performance, Compliance and Impacts
219 units (across 139 sites) are accredited to ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001
As befits a market leader, Viridor demonstrates environmental and social responsibility by operating all facilities and services to the highest environmental, health and safety and professional standards.
Viridor has implemented a Business Management System (BMS) meeting the requirements of:
- ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems
- OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
- ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
Indicators (Operational Performance, Compliance and Impacts) |
|
|---|---|
2008/09 |
|
Number of complaints |
644 |
Number of complaints per operating unit |
2.7 |
Number if sites with a BMS (14001, 9001, 18001) |
139 |
Total number of operating units with a BMS (14001, 9001, 18001) |
219 |
Registered units as a proportion of total number of operating units |
93% |
No. of Prosecutions |
1 |
No. of Formal Cautions |
0 |
No. of Enforcement Notices |
2 |
No. of Abatement Notices |
0 |
These standards have been rolled out much more quickly than targeted last year and now cover 93% of Viridor's operating centres. We have decided not to formally gain PAS99 accreditation, which would add little further fundamental benefit. However, the BMS follows the framework for integration given in the PAS 99 specification.
The BMS applies to all operational facilities. Compliance with system requirements and policies is mandatory and subject to periodic audit.
All the BMS documents are available on the Company's web portal, easily accessed via an Index or search tools.
Web portals improve employee communications inside the organisation and can be used externally to provide an online management system for customers, suppliers or partners.
During 2008, the whole of Viridor's BMS, covering all sites previously certified to the ISO14001 Environmental Management System, were formally certified by the accreditation body, BSI.
Complaints
Viridor continues to monitor and act on complaints received where substantiated. The total number of complaints received has increased to 644 in 2008/09 from 549 the previous year in line with the growth of the business, and represents approximately 2.7 complaints per site. The majority (69%) relate to odour, mostly arising from landfill gas or composting operations. In particular 43% of complaints arose from just three sites (all with landfill operations, two with in-vessel composting units, one of which operates adjacent to a large sewage treatment works) which had operational or engineering issues giving rise to higher levels of odour complaints. In each case a detailed action plan was rapidly instigated and communicated to the local community, regulators and stakeholders. A Company-wide initiative to assess and minimise the risk of odour emissions from composting operations has been instigated during the year.
Composting, particularly 'in-vessel' composting plants, is recognised as a significant potential source of odours, primarily because the process may become anaerobic as a result of poor airflows through the waste mass. This has been the cause of a substantial proportion of complaints. A significant amount of work, which commenced the previous year, has been carried out to improve the performance of the Company's facilities. This has focused on a review of waste inputs, operating systems and infrastructure.
We have instigated revised process systems and monitoring of our composting operations, and have developed a training regime to make sure that all operatives fully understand the processes involved and also to ensure their safety in the composting environment. The result of this work has been that complaints attributable to the composting operations have dropped significantly compared with previous years. We are committed to continuing our work in this area and to sharing our knowledge with industry through the various working groups that Viridor personnel attend.
Environmental Compliance
There has been one prosecution during 2008/09 against the Company for offences committed by Grosvenor Waste Management prior to its acquisition by Viridor. The prosecution was for failing to meet the requirements of the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations when exporting 27 containers of mixed plastics to the United Arab Emirates. The Company pleaded guilty before Dartford Magistrates in December 2008 and the matter was concluded with sentencing in Maidstone Crown Court during May 2009. Viridor was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay costs of £35,000. The offences took place between December 2006 and January 2007 which was before Viridor acquired the Grosvenor Waste Management business and in the judgement it was recognised that Viridor played no part in the committing of these offences.
Viridor was fully aware of the situation prior to the acquisition of Grosvenor and proceeded with the acquisition on the basis that the fundamental and substantial improvements instituted by Grosvenor would be continued and enhanced. Since the acquisition, the success of this programme has been acknowledged following inspections by the Environment Agency.
Two enforcement notices were received during the year. The first, relating to Shore Recycling (Ozone) Limited, was due to delayed submission of Environment Agency Quarterly Returns. The second enforcement notice was in relation to managing emergencies outside working hours at our Shelford Landfill site. As a consequence we reviewed our systems and implemented revised procedures. Both notices have been complied with.
